St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana

History

The parish of St. Bernard was settled by colonists from France, Spain

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and the Canary islands. Grants were given to Celestin Chiopella by the

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French government in 1759, and to Antonie Phillipon in 1763; Phillipon

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also received grants from the Spanish government in 1773 and 1784.

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Magloin Guichaud received a grant in 1765. Bernard Marigny, for whom the

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parish was named, was granted a large tract in the territory of the parish

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conditioned upon his colonizing it. To effect this project a number of

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colonists were brought from the Canary islands about 1778. Among the early

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comers to St. Bernard were C. Devilliers, Samuel Young, the Beauregards,

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the Villerys, R. Ducros, L.B. Diclouet, F. Gutierres, the Estopnals, M. St.

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Germain, the Bienvenus, G.N. Allard, Jaques Tontant, P. Raud, Augueste

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Reggio, the Nunez, Pedro Hernandez, Felix Morrero, Manuel Solis, D. Sanchez,

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Lopez, and the Queridos.

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In 1810 the population had reached 1,020, which steadily grew until in

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1860 there were 4,076. The parish of St. Bernard was incorporated in 1807

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by the act of territorial legislature.

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St. Bernard Parish contains a small community of Spanish descent. Islenos from the Canary Islands arrived around 1780. This linguistically isolated group eventually developed their own dialect.

Related Topics:
Spanish - Islenos - Canary Islands

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From 1919 to 1969, the county was effectively ruled as part of the fiefdom of Leander Perez, a local official in neighboring Plaquemines Parish.

Related Topics:
Leander Perez - Plaquemines Parish

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During the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, city and state leaders used dynamite to breach a levee at Caernarvon, thirteen miles below Canal Street, in order to save the city of New Orleans from flooding. However, this action resulted in the flooding of both St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, causing widespread destruction.

Related Topics:
Great Mississippi Flood - Dynamite - Levee - Caernarvon - New Orleans

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As of September 1 2005, most homes in the parish were underwater due to Hurricane Katrina, which hit the parish especially hard. On September 19, news reports said 80% of the buildings in the parish would have to be destroyed.

Related Topics:
September 1 - 2005 - Hurricane Katrina

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